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Darlene Conner
Darlene Conner, played by Sara Gilbert, is the second eldest child to Dan and Roseanne Conner, and sister to Becky Conner, D.J. Conner, and Jerry Garcia Conner. Darlene was born in 1977 in the town of Lanford. She took after her father, enjoying sports and manual labor, and was remarked to be Dan Conner's son despite sharing her mother's quick wit and smart mouth. In the earlier seasons, Darlene was an underachiever at school, often letting her participation in sporting activities take priority over her homework and upsetting teachers by barking in class. However, following her scribbling of a poem, she took an interest in creative writing and expanded on that in later years. Her relationship with her father was especially close; the two would often spend Saturdays working on the boat in the garage, which was to be for Dan and Roseanne's retirement. They both followed the Chicago Bulls in basketball and the Chicago Cubs in baseball. He was more protective of Darlene when she began dating boys than he was of Becky, and Darlene would often be less sarcastic towards her father than towards her mother. Her status as favorite was confirmed at her wedding when he revealed a secret bank account which he'd been keeping for Darlene as a gift. Roseanne and Darlene's relationship was more adversarial in nature but the two also shared a wicked sense of humor and enjoyed baiting their nearest and dearest. Darlene was definitely "Roseanne Junior", which was a constant source of conflict between the two, but as their adult relationships settled down, they developed a mutual respect for each other. Roseanne would often push Darlene hard at school, as she recognized that Darlene was capable of excellent, creative work but would slack off without constant supervision, which Darlene resented. Darlene would also come back with a witty comment or two, observing that her mother solved problems the same way, and also picked up her abilities to control weaker family members. There were boundaries, and Darlene would never, ever do anything malicious to any of her family, but she would often stand her ground when pushed. Darlene had a relationship fraught with conflict and affection with her older sister Becky. The pair shared a bedroom as teenagers and frequently bickered -- for example, Darlene would Becky "Barbie Doll", while Becky would often call Darlene "Butch". They could also be mutually supportive, particularly giving each other advice or protecting one another from snooping parents. Whereas Becky eloped and made questionable personal decisions, Darlene, defying all earlier expectations, went to college and so began heaping scorn on her sister's academic prowess, often calling her stupid. Darlene had a closer relationship with D.J. than Becky did -- Becky would see D.J. as an annoyance and someone who prevented her getting whatever she wanted. Darlene and D.J. would often spar verbally and physically (off-screen) but in more private moments, she would always look out for her little brother, giving him advice when he couldn't come to their parents. Her relationship with her Aunt Jackie was fairly close also, although she copied her mother in criticizing certain aspects of her life, specifically her inability to commit to men. Jackie often provided a sympathetic ear when Darlene and Roseanne locked antlers, and sometimes duked it out with her sister to help Darlene. Darlene dated several boys in high school before she met David (whose name she changed from Kevin because she preferred it). The two had a tumultuous relationship, breaking up several times but eventually getting married when Darlene discovered she was pregnant after a family vacation at Disney World. They began as friends who wrote and produced an underground comic book; however, David found himself increasingly attracted to Darlene, who didn't return the feelings at first. She eventually relented, and the two became an item. Darlene controlled the relationship, taking after her mother, while David, who came from an abusive household, was frequently passive. However, he would sometimes stand up for himself and tell Darlene what he really thought. Season 1 Darlene struggles in school, trying to keep her grades up so she can keep with her after school sporting activities. She and her brother would fool around like all young children did whereas Becky looked on, never quite being part of the group and preferring the company of adults. Darlene also gets her first period this year and feels as if she has to give up her old life and start wearing make-up and dating boys but some timely words from Roseanne convince her that she can still play sports but becoming a woman would actually be more of a benefit than a hindrance. She also gets a paper route to earn some extra money but is fired because of her poor time-keeping. Season 2 Darlene continues to struggle in school but her teacher spots an amazingly insightful poem and makes her read it out loud at a school "culture evening" where Jackie and Roseanne learn some interesting things. As the family struggles with money problems, Darlene and her mother begin to fight for the role of "alpha female". Season 3 Maturity is the theme for Darlene this season as she begins to date boys, groping a guy on the couch just to get one up on Becky who is on her second serious boyfriend by this point. Her sporting activities seem to take something of a backseat this year as her romantic life blooms. There's always room for sports on TV with her dad who challenges Roseanne that her relationship with Darlene isn't perhaps what it ought to be. Season 4 Whereas Becky's adolescence runs somewhat smoothly, Darlene literally fades to black becoming withdrawn, isolated and struggling personally in high school. She rejects her friends and family although they won't let her retreat completely into her shell and are instrumental in bringing her out of it. Darlene begins to date David who the family like a lot better than her as he is polite, well spoken and seemingly the antithesis of the prodigal daughter. She sneaks off to Chicago to attend a comic book convention where the two try and promote their underground comic book but get caught and severely punished. Darlene also adopts a vegetarian lifestyle, begins to wear all black clothes, and takes meals more often than not in her room wanting to read and be alone. Season 5 Becky has eloped with her boyfriend Mark which means that Darlene has a lot more to do around the house. She also spends the night with David but is under increasing pressure to take their relationship to the physical level which sees her getting quite hostile. David's family life is disintegrating with his parents splitting up and eventually moves in with the Connors after Roseanne witnesses how abusive his mother is to him. She and David apply to an art school in Chicago -- she in creative writing and he in graphic design. She is accepted whilst David is not and goes, breaking up with David in the process. Season 6 Darlene spends most of this year at school in Chicago but returns frequently to Lanford. She reconciles with David who sneaks away to live with her whilst telling the family that he is moving back with his mother. The two are caught and Roseanne drags David back to Lanford. Season 7 Darlene and David break up because she begins to date a boy called Jimmy who is somewhat like David. Eventually she tires of his drug-taking ways and the two part; Darlene returns to David. Season 8 Darlene continues to do well at college and even receives a surprising job offer from a firm as a copywriter which she contemplates before rejecting. She also goes with the family to Disney World when they cash in Dan's final paycheck from the garage and gushes over Winnie the Pooh. It is there that David gets Darlene pregnant and the two get married. Season 9 Darlene's pregnancy is a tough one and results in the premature birth of her baby who defies all the expectations and pulls through after several hellish days. They stay at the hospital for a while before they return back to Lanford so Darlene can learn parenting from Roseanne. Darlene doesn't want to overstay her welcome but Roseanne says she'd be happy for them all to live together for as long as they want to -- providing Darlene returns to college to finish off her degree. Category:People